| Okay, are you all settled? |
| Well, first of all, welcome to Cardiff University. |
| I'm here to explain what we can offer you. |
| Now, as a new student at the university, |
| you will probably need some sort of guidance to help you to use the library effectively |
| to study and research. |
| Some of you have asked about a guided tour |
| but we find this rather muddles people. |
| So, in this first week, |
| we run a series of talks which focus on different aspects of the library and its resources. |
| You'll also find that to get the most out of the library, |
| you really do need to be computer literate |
| and so, all this term we run small classes |
| which will bring you up to speed on how to access the computer-loaded information. |
| Okay, now let me give you an outline of what's available to you. |
| You'll find that the computers are increasingly used as a research tool. |
| Many students do most of their research on the internet |
| and the library computers are permanently online. |
| Having found what you need, you'll find you can readily save texts on your personal computer space to print off when you need. |
| You might think that it is the fastest way to get information but the links can be slow. |
| Clearly, you can find lots on there but much of it is useless information |
| as it is from highly debatable sources - so be critical. |
| You'll also find that the library has loaded several CD-ROMS onto the computers from specialist reference sources |
| such as the MLA. |
| It means we can expand what we offer you at very little extra cost |
| and saves us having to invest in more and more books. |
| The CD-ROMS contain exactly the same information as the reference books |
| as the two are updated together. |
| Now most of you will need to refer to journal articles in your work |
| and you'll find you can also access these online |
| and we encourage you to do so. |
| Clearly some of you will find the printed version more accessible as it sits on the shelves |
| but I'm afraid the intention is to phase these out eventually. |
| However, you will still be able to print off a version of the text rather than photocopying the journal pages. |
| So you must get used to working online. |
| Naturally we do still have the full range of classic reference books, |
| additional to the CD-ROMS, for you to use |
| and there are several copies of each one. |
| This is because some of you may prefer to borrow a book rather than sit in the library. |
| There is a restricted loan time on these |
| so that they are not missing from the shelves for too long. |
| Although there is a Section Manager for each part of the library, |
| they are very busy |
| and so, if you do get stuck looking for things, |
| you should ask the relevant Cataloguing Assistant. |
| As your Training Supervisor, I just oversee your induction |
| and will not be around after this initial week. |
| Some of you may be interested to know that the library is offering specialised training sessions on writing a dissertation. |
| Obviously, this is not relevant to those of you who are undergraduates; |
| it is just for postgraduates. |
| Your department will discuss the planning stage of the dissertation - |
| i.e. what you're going to do with you |
| and we will focus on the structure of it. |
| However, the training will also include some time on the computers. |
| I realise most of you know how to organise files |
| but we can show you the different ways to run data programmes. |
| Your tutors will tell you at the outset how to set out the chapters they require |
| but you will need to ask them how they would like you to organise the bibliography |
| because it varies depending on your subject area. |
| When you've got something together, the trainer here will look through the draft version for you to see if it's okay. |
| And, one final point, |
| for those of you who have registered from abroad, |
| we can offer individual sessions on dissertations if you feel you need them. |
| If you require language lessons then they are available from the International Centre next to the Law Department. |